Child seating restraint system

Abstract

A system for preventing a child from voluntarily or accidentally leaving the chair in which he or she is seated. The system provides a partial enclosure of the child's upper legs and lower torso, the enclosure being contoured to the general shape of these parts of a seated child. Also provided are a tenon sliding in a mortise and a pawl which engages ratchet teeth to permit adjusting the system for the size of the child and for locking the components of the system together during use.

I claim: 
     
       1. A system for restraining a seated child, comprising: (a) a base member having two elongated curved depressions each being suitable for partially surrounding at least a segment of an horizontally forward extending thigh of a child seated on the base member;   (b) a top member suitable for placement atop the base member and having: (1) a substantially vertical wall disposed to restrain and support the waist and abdomen area of the seated child; and   (2) two parallel elongated curved vaults extending forward from the wall and disposed, when the top member is properly atop the base member, to align with the curved depressions of the base member in order to form two passageways each of which completely surrounds at least a segment of a thigh of the seated child;     (c) whereby when the top member is properly atop the bottom member they form a pants-like enclosure for the thighs of the seated child and a support for the waist and lower abdomen of the seated child.   
     
     
       2. A system for restraining a seated child according to claim 1, further comprising: (d) a narrow-mouthed mortise in the base member, with a floor having a path of ratchet teeth;   (e) a widening tenon extending downward from the top member sized to move slidably along the axis of the mortise and to be incapable of moving vertically out of the mortise;   (f) a pawl associated with the tenon and slidably extending downward beyond it to engage the ratchet teeth.   
     
     
       3. A system for restraining a seated child, comprising: (a) a base member sized to support the buttocks and legs of the child;   (b) a top member having an inner surface comprising a waist portion contoured to the general shape of the front of the waist and abdomen area of a seated child, two upper leg portions contoured to the general shape of the tops of the upper legs of a seated child and a pommel extending down between the upper leg portions, the top member resting atop the base member and thereby forming with it a partial enclosure for the front lower torso, groin and upper legs of the child;   (c) an assembly for adjusting the proximity of the waist portion to the child and for locking the top member to the base member during use, comprising a narrow-mouthed mortise in the base member, with a floor having a path of ratchet teeth, a widening tenon extending downward from the top member sized to move slidably along the axis of the mortise and to be incapable of moving vertically out of the mortise, a pawl associated with the tenon and slidably extending downward beyond it to engage the ratchet teeth, a spring to urge the pawl toward the ratcheted teeth, and a push-button shaft with an inclined surface to slidably raise the pawl and thereby disengage it from the ratchet teeth.   
     
     
       4. A system for restraining a seated child, comprising: (a) a base member sized to support the buttocks and legs of the child and having an upper surface contoured to the general shape of the buttocks and the bottoms of the upper legs of a seated child;   (b) a top member having an inner surface comprising a waist portion contoured to the general shape of the front of the waist and abdomen area of a seated child, two upper leg portions contoured to the general shapes of the tops of the upper legs of a seated child and a pommel extending down between the upper leg portions, the top member resting atop the base member and thereby forming with it a partial enclosure for the front lower torso, groin and upper legs of the child;   (c) an assembly for adjusting the proximity of the waist portion to the child and for locking the top member to the base member during use comprising a narrow-mouthed mortise in the base member, with a floor having a path of ratchet teeth, a widening tenon extending downward from the top member sized to move slidable along the axis of the mortise and to be incapable of moving vertically out of the mortise, a pawl associated with the tenon and slidably extending downward beyond it to engage the ratcheted teeth, a spring to urge the pawl toward the ratcheted teeth, and a push-button shaft with an inclined surface to slidable raise the pawl and thereby disengage it from the ratchet teeth.